NOTE! This site uses cookies

Jailed former vice president hopeful “new era of dialogue” starts

Oriol Junqueras welcomes recent meeting between Catalan and Spanish leaders and believes referendum is only way out

SHARE

23 December 2018 11:07 AM

by

ACN | Barcelona

The jailed former Catalan vice president, Oriol Junqueras, is hopeful that the meeting between the Spanish and Catalan leaders on Thursday is the beginning of a "new era of dialogue" between both administrations.

"Everyone knows that this conflict, which they now recognize, can only be solved with the path of dialogue," he said in an interview with the Catalan public TV.

According to Junqueras, the way out after this dialogue should be a referendum on Catalonia's independence, because "more than 80% of Catalans are in favor" of such vote.

"More than 80% of Catalans are in favor of an independence referendum"

Oriol Junqueras · Jailed former Catalan vice president

The jailed leader, also president of ERC pro-independence party, welcomed the meeting between presidents Torra and Sánchez, especially the joint statement they agreed, where they said they have "differences" in regards to the "origins, nature or possible solutions" of the current political crisis but share, "above all, a commitment for an effective dialogue."

Criticism to airport renaming

During the interview, Junqueras criticized the change of name of Barcelona's airport to Josep Tarradellas agreed by the Spanish cabinet meeting unprecedentedly held in the Catalan capital on Friday.

For him, the new name is not a problem –Tarradellas was an exiled Catalan president during Francoist and member of ERC–, but "who and how" has been decided. Junqueras thinks that it should have been Barcelona or Catalonia administrations the ones taking the decision.

"The underlying problem is not the name, but its management, it would be better off in Catalan hands than in Spanish ones," he added.